Curiosity
by nekomiao
Summary: Eiji wonders just how well he knows his doubles partner.  Written with the prompt "Strangers" in mind.


There was a curious tint to the soft blue gaze that cast itself over the tennis courts that day. Kikumaru Eiji frowned slightly as he sat in the corner of the tennis cage. His legs were out in front of him in a V shape as he finished off the last of his cool down stretches. In the court that was closest to him, there was a very serious match underway.

For a while he sat, eyes following the ball back and forth, the rhythmic motion almost calming. It was a match to decide who would be part of the Regulars team for the next round of the tournament. Although, it didn't really matter at this point who won. Both were definitely going to be in once the ranking matches were over. That didn't decrease the competitive streak in either of the boys however. Eiji sighed. It was a match between two of his best friends at Seigaku.

His eyes stopped following the ball and instead now watched the player that was closest to him. He followed the way that player moved over the courts. With that uncanny ability to pinpoints attacks to the furthest lines and that annoying habit of his which roughed up the top of his racket. A soft smile tugged at the corners of Eiji's lips. The boy who had seen Eiji's abilities and so easily asked him to be his doubles partner.

Oishi Shuuichirou.

Eiji said the name softly to himself and thought it over for a moment. How much did he know about Oishi, really? His eyes subconsciously followed him as he continued thinking about it. Well, he knew he preferred to stay at the baseline and watch the match as it played itself out. He was very good at working out the opponent and changing the flow of the game at the most precise moments. He was also the vice captain of their tennis club and would never take the captain position away from Tezuka. He also really loved fish.

Hmm...

He thought a little bit harder. Oishi was his best friend, wasn't he? Well... he liked swimming, maybe that's why he liked fish so much. He liked to listen to slow music that sounded like what you would hear in a forest...if you were walking through it...during a very serene moment...and music was playing. Who decided what kind of music serene forests would play anyway?

A slight pout crossed his face. Was their relationship really based around tennis? That's what the majority of their time together was spent doing. That's how their relationship felt like. They were either playing tennis or talking about tennis. He picked up his racket and held it up, eyes focused on the strings before him. It was, after all, tennis that had brought them together in the first place. From the moment he had bumped into Oishi on the way to school, up until that match they had because Eiji couldn't keep his own mouth shut.

He sighed. If they didn't play tennis, would Oishi not be interested in him anymore? Would they stop spending this much time together? A soft grumble was followed not long after by a little sigh. Eyes followed the racket string, tracing along the timeline of their friendship on it.

There would be no more meeting on the container to talk about the match they just had. No more sleeping over so they can talk about their formations for the next match. Maybe Oishi would stop helping him with his homework because there was no longer that threat of him not being allowed to attend club.

Couldn't they just play tennis together...forever?

"Parfait...?"

Eiji's eyes snapped up as the question was posed to him out of nowhere. He had been so intently staring at his racket that he hadn't even noticed the match had ended. "Hoi...?" The confused answer was all he could manage as his eyes focused up on Oishi.

The vice captain smiled down at his doubles partner. "I said...parfait..?" The smile widened as he spoke and a soft chuckle hinted through the words. Eiji had been day dreaming again. "No tennis talk today. Let's just enjoy ourselves and relax." Words which rarely came from someone as hard working as Oishi.

"Un!" Eiji grinned in return, bouncing up onto his feet with a well rehearsed kip up. Oishi Shuuichirou...Kikumaru Eiji's best friend...with or without tennis. And that's just how it should be.


End file.
